The Portland daily press., 1887-09-02
FooLINc THE AUDIENCE.
How Some Of the Stage Effects are
Produced In the Theatres.
New York Mirror. j

Many effects of stage representation have
been attempted, with more or less success,
which can hardly be classified with ordinary
scenery, properties or stage appliances, but
are combination Of all, with arrangements
specialized for the particular object desired.
Thus when ''The Tempest" was produced by
Samuel Phelps great attention was paid to
the shipwreck scene. The greater part of
the stage was made to rise a few feet and
then rest on pivot, so that it could be rock
ed. The front of this was built up and
painted to represent the side of ship.
Masts, with their sails, cordage and so forth,
were inserted in sockets ON the stage The
small part of the down stage left standing
was covered with wave waters, worked by
boys in the usual way. The shops, or, rather
the stage, had forty persons on it who acted
spiritedly the confusion Of a shipwreck-some
clinging to the ropes, some looking in de-
spair over the sides of the vessel as 1t rocked
and swung, the sailors working the sails. and
all making up fine picture OF stage grouping
The sky was a m00nlighted, stormy drop
with the usual moon box, In front of il was
gauze cloud-drop-that is. a gauze sky on
which painted canvas in the form of clouds
had been sewn-which was hung panorama
kept in continuous motion, ever and anon fit
fully 0bscuring the moon by the passing
clouds. Between the ganze panorama and
the back drop were displays OF forked light
ening lmagnetism had not been discovered,
or, II discovered, not made public. C0lored
signal fires were shown on board the ship.
The sheet iron and the thunder drum were
literally used, while fearful blasts on the
wind machine were heard, and when the final
catastrophe came the ship was lowered out
NJ cioht saaminUlv sinking tho fell
over, accompanied by extra thunder and
crash, some of the people "leapt overheard
with dreadful yells, and the Byronic Ideal
was almost realized"
Dummy men are strictly within the prop
erty department, but when used as shey
were in Henry Fifth at Sadlers Wells, they
rise to the point of stage effect of no ordinary
character. In that play there is an import
ant scene Of the triumphal entry OF the
princes army into Harfleur. The stage was
large gateway on the right stood on plat
form which SlOped down like a roadway.
There were some two or three hundred SUI
pers well drilled as soldiers: every three of
these did duty as eight soldiers-a large
quantity of dummies had been prepared and
carefully clothed. The masks had all been
modelled as portraits of living men, and were
painted by Absolom, the royal academican.
| These realistic dummies were arrayed In this
way: The formation was eight abreast
| The end files were living men, and one was
| in the middle. These living men had an iron
rcd on which five dummies were fixed.
| When the curtain rose it disclosed Prince
| Henry.
This character was played by Henry Mars
| ton, the father Of the New York scenic artist
| man of singularly hundsome physique and
| military bearing, standing behind the para
| pet at the head of the seeming army. After
| the parley with the burgomasters the army
| entered by the great gate and staggered
down the platform, going off at the wings to
reappear again at the rear of those already
on the march. The swing of the march
made the dummies sway together In this
| way there was a seeming army of thousands
a complete march past. To lessen the chance
| of detection, on the audience side of the pro-
| cession were officers, standard-bearers and
stragglers. The public never discovered the
| device.